THE POSITIVE PROFESSOR
CMO of Rutherford Cancer Centres and Former Director of WHO Cancer Programme
SOCIAL media’s voice of calm Karol Sikora has been signed up by the Daily Express. Readers can now enjoy his soothing advice in these troubled times that have won him hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter. If you need reassuring everything’s going to be all right read Professor Positivity.
THERE is a Swedish elephant in the room. This was really the only country in Europe that didn’t lock down on the same scale as everyone else.
Schools remained open, Swedes were able to visit bars and restaurants throughout and spring in Stockholm looked a lot more like normal than the rest of us experienced at the time.
When their deaths and cases were on the way up, we were constantly told just how dangerous their strategy was.
But now the numbers are going in the opposite direction to virtually everybody else’s, we never hear about it.
Why is that?
The Swedes are a sensible bunch and they’ve clearly decided not to be consumed with fear of the virus, aiming for a more balanced yet disciplined approach. Their strategy has been far
from perfect, they will be the first to admit. Mistakes were made, such as not protecting care homes.
But their numbers now warrant a serious discussion about how they have achieved what seems to be success.
Spain and France, two countries that locked down the hardest, are now experiencing a dramatic rise in infections. Politicians are openly talking about the idea of a two- week lockdown in October.
Are they really sure we’re following the right policy?
Every country is different and Sweden is no exception. I’m not suggesting we follow their strategy exactly, but I think it at least warrants a debate.
Groupthink is counterproductive and has led us to where we are today.
We should look at all of our neighbours to see what worked and what didn’t. Of course things can change, but right now Sweden’s situation looks so much better than the rest of Europe’s.
We should at least be asking why.